Operation Chopper

Operation Chopper was a military operation of the Vietnam War and the first time that US forces participated in major combat in the war.

In December 1961, 82 US Army helicopters arrived in Saigon, South Vietnam to assist the ARVN with counter-insurgency operations in the Mekong Delta. Over 1,000 ARVN paratroopers were airlifted to assault a Viet Cong stronghold 10 miles west of Saigon, and the VC were surprised and soundly defeated; the ARVN captured an underground radio transmitter from the guerrillas, but the Viet Cong gained invaluable combat experience.